Takashi Murakami opens a new retro-inspired café in Nakano featuring his art and gaming consoles
World-renowned contemporary artist Takashi Murakami has opened up a new café in Nakano Broadway known as Coffee Zingaro. This art-filled café is a welcoming spot in the anime and manga shop-filled district and is Murakami’s latest venture in the area after closing down Bar Zingaro in 2020.
Coffee Zingaro has a lot of pizazz with its retro kissaten vibes inspired by the 1960s and ‘70s. The café features a tonne of artwork by Murakami and a colourful Showa era (1926-1989) interior courtesy of Yoshinori Hamakura, who also worked on creating the iconic Ebisu Yokocho and other retro spots in Tokyo.
You'll find Murakami's artwork all over the café, from the NFT videos playing on the large TV screen to food and drink inspired by the artist’s signature flower motif. But this isn’t just an art café. Coffee Zingaro is set up with tables that double as gaming consoles, where you'll find classic games like Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Street Fighter. When ordering, you can purchase special flower coins (¥500 each) to play these games.
Coffee here comes from Nordic roastery Fuglen Tokyo, while you can also get kissaten favourites like melon floats and pudding. Don’t miss the pancakes, either, which are created by Tonari no Kaido, a pastry shop started by Murakami and his Kaikai Kiki team. If you're looking for an artsy (and delicious) souvenir, pick up one of the Tonari no Kaido cookie tins filled with butter cookies shaped as Murakami's iconic smiley flowers.
The café has irregular holidays, so be sure to check its Instagram page before heading over.